NBA officials, eastern regional Scout, Al Battista. Al has one of the most intelligent referee minds in the world and is constantly sharing his knowledge with other officials.

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However, for the past six years, he’s been a full-time employee of the league’s officiating management team as a scout, where he’s helped mentor an estimated 3,000 registered referees from around the world who hope to be promoted up the chain from the G-League (the league’s minor league), the WNBA and the NBA itself.

Former NBA referee Joey Crawford, also a full-time member of the NBA’s officiating training team, called Battista the “finest classroom instructor” he’s ever seen.